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It's Raining Amaranth
As suggested in the Thrive book, I attempted to "pop" amaranth in a hot air (popcorn) popper. It rained amaranth in my kitchen when every last grain blew out of the popper the second I poured it in. Has anyone had success doing this? Or, has anyone been successful doing it in a pan, also suggested in the book? Any other ways on how to use this grain would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on -
Tried the pan technique and it didn't work, but I found popped aramanth in a health store
"aramanth puffs" by GOGO Quinoa - maybe order online?
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Permalink Reply by Kristin on -
I've been having trouble too. Mine kept burning and setting off the smoke alarm :)
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Permalink Reply by Darrick on -
Haha, I had the same thing happen the first few times I tried popping my amaranth in a pan. I eventually had success using a glass lid (so I could see them popping) and finding the right combination of heat, coconut oil, and time. I'll try to make a batch tonight so I can give you a more detailed description. One thing's for sure though — you gotta be quick or those suckers will burn!
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Permalink Reply by Brendan Brazier on
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I’ve found that when amaranth is not as fresh, such as what’s from the bulk section, it can dry out. Once dry, there's no moisture in the center, therefore it can't expand when heated. And as such, won't pop. So, if you have older, dry amaranth, soak overnight and then try the frying pan method. Hope that helps!
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Permalink Reply by Tracy G on -
I'm thinking of buying the Presto Microwave Popcorn Popper to try and pop my wild rice. Have you successfully popped rice or amaranth without the use of coconut oil?
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Permalink Reply by Anne de Champlain on -
I've had trouble like the others with popping amaranth in the pan and haven't got a popcorn popper so haven't tried that but I'm interested in anyone else's results. I do consume amaranth at least once a week as a porridge with some blueberries/banana in the morning. I add some chia seeds and flax seeds to the final result. Of course that's not raw but I it's a good way to consume this pseudo grain.
Good luck
Anne
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Permalink Reply by Sarah V on
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I tried popping mine in a pan and some did burn and it was really fiddly and time consuming. :-(
I've since bought a hot air popcorn machine, but haven't been able to bring myself to try it as have a feeling it will be a disaster too! I ended up making normal popcorn actually.
I might be brave and have a go, but be careful to use some kind of lid.
I would probably put the amaranth in first rather than after it's switched on.
Interested to know what others have tried!
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Permalink Reply by Vega Kelly on -
Brendan usually suggests soaking the amaranth first as it can get dry sometimes in storage but I haven't tried this yet myself. Any other tips?
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Permalink Reply by Tracy G on
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this is what i was thinking of trying http://www.amazon.com/Presto-04830-PowerPop-Microwave-Multi-Popper/....
it seems like this might solve the problem of raining amaranth?!
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Permalink Reply by Cheryl on -
The water worked for me. I just used bulk amaranth, some water, and a pot with a glass lid on the stove. You do have to watch it closely but it was pretty funny once it started popping.
Vega Kelly said:Brendan usually suggests soaking the amaranth first as it can get dry sometimes in storage but I haven't tried this yet myself. Any other tips?
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Permalink Reply by Maria Erb on
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I bought the Presto popcorn popper today and did indeed rain amaranth in the kitchen this evening! I wish Brendan had included a tip or two on how to use the air popper to pop the amaranth. I suppose I could try holding a dish towel over the chute but I think that would only serve as a place for the amaranth to embed themselves as soon as I plug in the machine. If anyone can figure out how to use the popper to pop amaranth let me know thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Evamarie Gilibert Musum on -
I did end up successfully popping amaranth in a skillet but it took a few batches to figure it out. I preheated the skillet, did not use any oil, water, or even soak the amaranth. I started with really small batches- like a tablespoon or two. I also used a splatter screen over the pan but I like the glass top idea the other posters came up with better. The pan was already really hot and I kept it moving over the stove (gas). They popped really quickly and like in other posts the time between popping and burning was really quick. Once I got it figured out it was pretty easy though. Made the banana chocolate pancakes on page 214 of Thrive which called for the popped amaranth. Took a really long time to cook the pancakes, too- much longer than 5 minutes. I loved the pancakes but my husband and one daughter did not.
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